Protective shield devices for tools and the like



NOV. 4, 1969 I J, X K 3,475,990

PROTECTIVE SHIELD DEVICES FOR TOOLS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 16, 1968 1 2Sheets-Sheet l I N VENI'OR.

40 6/72 .ZMaz/hz/ Nov. 4, 1969 MAXlMUK 3,475,990

PROTECTIVE SHIELD DEVICES FOR TOOLS AND THE LIKE Filed Jan. 16, 1968 2Sheets-Sheet :2

1 N VENTOR.

A dam Z Ma'Y/wa/ United States Patent "ice Int. Cl. F16p 1/04 US. Cl.74608 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A protective shield device formounting on tools of various kinds to afford protection to the operatorfrom cuttings, debris, chips and the like resulting from tool operation.It includes a transparent major shield body portion through which theoperator can see the tool head in work, and has an opening with a socketbushing seated therein of resilient material, the socket bushing havingan opening formed therein with inwardly projecting inner flange throughwhich the shank of the tool is inserted for a tight frictional grip.Thus the tool supports the shield device and there is no interferencewith the vision of the operator through the transparent shield bodyportion. Various shapes of shield body portion permit adaptation toblocking differing types or patterns of debris dispersion from the tool,and also to interfit with constricted or odd shaped areas where the toolis to work.

This invention relates to improvements in protective shields and likefor tools and the like.

An object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved protectiveshielding device for use with tools of various types, in order toobstruct the flight of any fragments, particles, or other portions ofthe object being worked upon by the tool and dislodged or cut therefrom,so as to avoid their damage or injury to the person of the operator ofthe tool.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel and improveddevice for use as a tool shield, which is so constructed as to bereadily attached to a tool without use of any tools, and which allowsthe operator of the tool to continue its use on metals, plastics,stones, masonry, or other materials, which would necessarily causecutting off, or dislodgement of fragments, or other portions of thematerial being worked upon, the tool shield being generally in sheetform and transparent so the operator can see therethrough with ease, butsuitably dimentioned and shaped as to stand in the path of any suchflying or moving fragments or particles being dislodged, and hencepreventing their damaging impingement upon the face, eyes, hands, orother portions of the body of the operator.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel and improveddevice for use as a tool shield, in which there is a main shield body insheet form, preferably of transparent lightweight material, and providedwith a hub portion of soft resilient shock absorbent material insertedinto an opening in the main shield body and securely seated therein, thehub portion having an opening for receiving and snugly engaging theshank or other similar portion of the tool, so that the shield iscarried on the tool and stands in the path of flying fragments or othermaterial cut off from or dislodged from the material being worked upon,and thus protects the operator from injury.

Patented Nov. 4, 1969 Still another object of the invention is toprovide a novel and improved hub or core member formed of soft resilientmaterial which is insertable in an opening in a tool shield which isused for protecting a tool operator from fragments case loose from thematerial being worked upon, the hub member being provided with anopening or socket for engaging the shank of a tool.

Still a further object of the invention is to provide a novel andimproved tool shield device which includes a major body portion formedof transparent sheet material which is shaped to stand in the path offlying fragments resulting from the operation of the tool, and shapedfor fitting into restricted or odd-shaped corners or other spaces foroperator protection, the tool shield device being simple inconstruction, formed of a minimum number of parts, and which is capableof manufacture by mass production methods at low cost, and for use withvarious types of tools, such as chisels, drills, chippers, liquidsprayers, and other tools, especially those which are operated by powermeans.

Those and other objects and advantages of the invention will becomeapparent from the following description of a preferred embodimentthereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, formed a parthereof, and in which:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a shield according to theinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view taken through thecentral hub portion of FIGURE 1, and showing the shank of a tool such asa power chisel inserted through the central hub portion.

FIGURE 3 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view somewhat similar tothat of FIGURE 2 and showing the shank of a tool such as a rotary drillpress inserted through the central hub portion.

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view somewhat similar tothat of FIGURE 2, and showing the shank of the nozzle portion of ablow-gun or the like inserted through the central hub portion.

FIGURE 5 is a plan view showing the insert hub socket portion of FIGURES1 to 4, apart from the main shield body, the view being partly brokenout.

FIGURE 6 is a transverse sectional elevational view taken through theinsert hub socket portion of FIG- URE 5.

FIGURE 7 is a face view showing a modified form of the composite shieldbody and hub portion according to the invention.

FIGURE 8 is a face view showing another modified form of compositeshield body and hub portion according to the invention.

In connection with the use of tools, particularly those known as powerdriven tools, such as drills, chisels, jackhammers, and others, variousproblems have arisen in affording the operator protection from thefragments, particles, and cuttings broken or cut off from the materialbeing worked upon with the tool. Many types of very serious injurieshave arisen to the operator or those standing close to him, due to suchflying fragments, and due to the somewhat erratic and unpredictablepaths which may be taken by the material dislodged or cut away by thetool, and the nature of the material being worked upon. The presentinvention provides means for interposing between the operator and theworking end of the tool, a protective shield which effectively blocksthe path 'to the body of the operator, and hence affords him maximumprotection. At the same time, the invention by using transparent mainshield body, allows the operator to get a good and continuous view ofthe working end of the tool which is essential for good work.

In order to understand clearly the nature of the invention, and the bestmeans for carrying it out, reference may be had to the drawings, inwhich like numerals denote similar parts throughout the several views.

As shown, there is a shield device generally indicated at 10 in FIGURESl, 2, 3 and 4, and the shield device including a major shield bodyportion 12, formed of relatively thin material of suflicient strength toblock passage of particles, cuttings, or other debris from a tool. Ithas been found and is preferred to make the shield of plastic sheetmaterial which is transparent, so that the operator can looktherethrough and hence obtain a continuous view of the working end ofthe tool and of the material being worked upon. In the form shown inFIG- URE 1, the major body portion 12 may be shaped as shown, roughlytriangular in contour, with its edges at 14, 16 and 18 rounded as shownin FIGURE 1, or these edges may also be formed in straight lines ratherthan curved, to suit the shape of corners or other odd shaped spacesinto which the tool is to be operated.

As shown further in FIGURES 1 to 4, the main shield body portion 12 hasan opening 20 formed therein for 20, when the bushing member 22 isinserted therein as H shown in the views.

As seen best in FIGURES 5 and 6, there is a central or axial opening 32formed through the socket bushing member 22 to allow the shank or nozzleportion of the tool to be extended therethrough, and this opening 32 isenlarged at the top and bottom as at 34 and 35, to allow for easy entryof the portion of the tool being inserted therethrough. As the entiresocket bushing member or grommet member 22 is made of a single piece ofrubber or rubber like material which is resilient and readilydeformable, the opening yields sufficiently to allow insertion of thetool shank or the like, and to maintain its grip thereon.

Thus, in FIGURE 2, there is shown a hand or power chisel 40, with itsshank 42 inserted through the socket bushing opening, and with itsworking chisel end portion 44 effectively shielded by the shield body 12and its bushing, so that any chips or debris from the chisel end can nothit the operator, while at the same time, he can see perfectly throughthe transparent shield body 12.

In FIGURE 3 there is shown a drill press 46, the shank 48 of which isinserted through the rubber bushing 22, with its working end carrying acutter 5t drill or other tool, with similar visibility and protectionfor the operator from chips and debris.

FIGURE 4 shows how a blow-gun 52 has its nozzle shank 54 insertedthrough the opening in the rubber bushing 22, with its nozzle outlet endat 56, the nozzle being used for various purposes, such as sandblasting, shot blasting, air blasting and cleaning, liquid spraying, andthe like uses. The shield provides good protection for the operator withgood visibility of the work.

FIGURE 7 shows another modified form of the protective shield device, inwhich the rubber socket bushing member 22 is inserted and seated in anopening formed through the shield body portion 12a, which is similar inconstruction to that of shield body member 12 of FIG- URE 1, except thatit is rounded or circular in form. This is adapted especially where thetool being used tends to give off its chips, or other debris in asomewhat circular dispersion pattern, and the diameter of the shieldbody portion 12a can be made as large as needed, it being seen also thatthe operator may have shield bodies of several diameters as needed.

FIGURE 8 shows another modified form of the protective shield device, inwhich the rubber socket bushing member 22 is inserted and seated in anopening formed through the shield body portion 12b, which is similar inconstruction to that of shield bodies 12 and 12a of FIG- URES l and 7,but somewhat rectangular or oblong in contour as shown. The location ofthe socket bushing member 22 is seen for example near the bottom edge ofthe shield body, which is of utility in fixed tools, such as in shapers,lathes, milling machines, grinders and the like, although its locationcan be varied as needed for the work. The large shield protects theoperator while affording tool visibility.

It is thus seen that in all forms of the shield devices shown in FIGURES1, 7 and 8, the location of the rubber socket bushing member can bevaried to suit the situation, and thus in the FIGURE 1 type, the socketbushing 22 may be at the geometric center, equidistant from the threecorners of the shield body, or slightly displaced therefrom, or evennear one of the corners, where the drilling or grinding takes place nearan interior corner intersection of walls.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention has been described indetail, it is to be understood that various changes may be made in size,shape, materials and arrangement without departing from the spirit andscope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. A protective shield device for use with tools and the like,comprising major tool shield body means constructed and arranged forprotecting an operator of a tool, said major tool shield body meanscomprising a shield body portion formed of substantially transparentsheet material, hub socket bushing means carried by said major toolshield body means and constructed and arranged for releasable engagementtherewith, said major tool shield body means having an opening formedtherein for engagement with said hub socket bushing means, said hubsocket bushing means comprising a hub socket bushing body formed ofresilient material extensible through said opening in said shield bodyportion, and mutually spaced first and second flanges on said hub socketbushing body and of greater diameter than that of said opening in saidshield body portion to overlie its marginal portions for secure seatingof said bushing means therein,

- and tool engaging means carried by said hub socket bushing means andconstructed and arranged for releasable engagement with a tool, saidtool engaging means comprising an inwardly projecting annular thirdflange carried by said hub socket bushing means and having a secondopening formed therethrough for reception of a shank and other portionof a tool inserted therethrough, for tight releasable frictionalengagement with said tool portion for supporting said protective shieldbody portion being sufficiently extensive to its edges to block passagetherepast of any debris from the tool to the person of the operator.

2. A protective shield device according to claim 1, and wherein saidinwardly projecting annular third flange carried by said hub socketbushing means is substantially thinner than the hub socket bushing bodyand deformable for ready and easy insertion of the tool shank and thelike therethrough and the withdrawal thereof when not in use, andwherein said shield body portion is formed with its outer edgesconformable to overlie the dispersion pattern of the chips, debris andthe like from the operation of the tool so as to intercept and deflectthe same from contact with the operator, and also conformable to theangular, rounded or other shape of area into which the tool is to work,so that debris interception is optimum, and wherein said opening forreception of said bushing 5 body is located, constructed and arranged atany selected location Within the edges of said shield body portion forsuch debris interception and interfitting with said areas for Work.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,366,249 1/1945 Formosa 74-6082,382,147 8/1945 Hanak 74-608 6 2,491,957 12/1949 Dilley 74-6082,670,143 2/1954 Jordan 74-612 FOREIGN PATENTS 729,844 5/ 1955 GreatBritain.

FRED C. MATTERN, ]R., Primary Examiner W. S. RATLIFF, JR., AssistantExaminer

